Gil Blank

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David Mitchell's novel Cloud Atlas consists of six stories set in various periods between 1850 and a time far into Earth's post-apocalyptic future. Each segment lives on its own the previous first person account picked up and read by a character in its successor creating connective tissue between each moment in time. The various stories remain intact for Tom Tykwer's (Run Lola Run) Lana Wachowski's and Andy Wachowski's (The Matrix) film adaptation which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival. The massive change comes from the interweaving of the book's parts into one three-hour saga — a move that elevates the material and transforms Cloud Atlas in to a work of epic proportions.
Don't be turned off by the runtime — Cloud Atlas moves at lightning pace as it cuts back and forth between its various threads: an American notary sailing the Pacific; a budding musician tasked with transcribing the hummings of an accomplished 1930's composer; a '70s-era investigatory journalist who uncovers a nefarious plot tied to the local nuclear power plant; a book publisher in 2012 who goes on the run from gangsters only to be incarcerated in a nursing home; Sonmi~451 a clone in Neo Seoul who takes on the oppressive government that enslaves her; and a primitive human from the future who teams with one of the few remaining technologically-advanced Earthlings in order to survive. Dense but so was the unfamiliar world of The Matrix. Cloud Atlas has more moving parts than the Wachowskis' seminal sci-fi flick but with additional ambition to boot. Every second is a sight to behold.
The members of the directing trio are known for their visual prowess but Cloud Atlas is a movie about juxtaposition. The art of editing is normally a seamless one — unless someone is really into the craft the cutting of a film is rarely a post-viewing talking point — but Cloud Atlas turns the editor into one of the cast members an obvious player who ties the film together with brilliant cross-cutting and overlapping dialogue. Timothy Cavendish the elderly publisher could be musing on his need to escape and the film will wander to the events of Sonmi~451 or the tortured music apprentice Robert Frobisher also feeling the impulse to run. The details of each world seep into one another but the real joy comes from watching each carefully selected scene fall into place. You never feel lost in Cloud Atlas even when Tykwer and the Wachowskis have infused three action sequences — a gritty car chase in the '70s a kinetic chase through Neo Seoul and a foot race through the forests of future millennia — into one extended set piece. This is a unified film with distinct parts echoing the themes of human interconnectivity.
The biggest treat is watching Cloud Atlas' ensemble tackle the diverse array of characters sprinkled into the stories. No film in recent memory has afforded a cast this type of opportunity yet another form of juxtaposition that wows. Within a few seconds Tom Hanks will go from near-neanderthal to British gangster to wily 19th century doctor. Halle Berry Hugh Grant Jim Sturgess Jim Broadbent Ben Whishaw Hugo Weaving and Susan Sarandon play the same game taking on roles of different sexes races and the like. (Weaving as an evil nurse returning to his Priscilla Queen of the Desert cross-dressing roots is mind-blowing.) The cast's dedication to inhabiting their roles on every level helps us quickly understand the worlds. We know it's Halle Berry behind the fair skinned wife of the lunatic composer but she's never playing Halle Berry. Even when the actors are playing variations on themselves they're glowing with the film's overall epic feel. Jim Broadbent's wickedly funny modern segment a Tykwer creation that packs a particularly German sense of humor is on a smaller scale than the rest of the film but the actor never dials it down. Every story character and scene in Cloud Atlas commits to a style. That diversity keeps the swirling maelstrom of a movie in check.
Cloud Atlas poses big questions without losing track of its human element the characters at the heart of each story. A slower moment or two may have helped the Wachowskis' and Tykwer's film to hit a powerful emotional chord but the finished product still proves mainstream movies can ask questions while laying over explosive action scenes. This year there won't be a bigger movie in terms of scope in terms of ideas and in terms of heart than Cloud Atlas.
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Have you all heard of this little show that I think some girl is making with her Flip video camera in Brooklyn? It is called Girls and it’s pretty underground, you know. No one’s really talking about it. You probably haven’t heard about it.
Ha! Jokes! It is actually a totally [moderately] popular television show on HBO, made with real-live fancy cameras and actors that get paid in dollars rather than beers from The Mark Bar in Greenpoint. And people seem to be talking about it quite a lot!
The show, created by do-it-all wunderkind Lena Dunham, is five episodes into its first season, and has ruffled the feathers of many a TV-watcher for its lack of diversity. Something Dunham recently discussed with Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air. Speaking to the controversy, Dunham explained that it was something “that will be remedied” in the second season. And how does she plan to quell the roar of bloggers taking her down? Word on the stoop is that Donald Glover (aka Childish Gambino) may be seen on the show next season—with Dunham posting a picture of him on Twitter as well as an image of the two filming together popping up this week.
So what does this mean for the girls of Girls, America? We’ve decided to let our minds wander and have created five awkward moments that would be a perfect fit for Gambino:
1.) Hannah (Dunham) meets Travis (played by Glover), a musician who creates tracks using vintage computers and video game consoles, at a warehouse party. Travis enjoys Hannah’s tattoos and self-awareness, and Hannah likes his vintage polos. They ditch the party and take peyote on the roof of an old automobile garage, where they watch the sun come up and talk about the fetishization of women in video games. They have sex on the roof and a creepy old man on the 5th floor walkup next-door watches—Hannah only noticing him when she nearly falls off the roof mid-coitus. She goes home and stares at a blank Tumblr page while listening to Andrew Bird.
2.) Soshanna (Zosia Mamet) meets Gil, a meek-seeming comic book blogger from Bushwick. They meet at Magnolia Bakery when they both reach for the same banana pudding—OMG!—and he asks her to go see The Avengers with him. While there, he asks for a handie during the movie. Not knowing what to do but also not wanting to seem prudish, she fumbles her way through and ends up with the short end of the stick…all over her face. She goes to the bathroom to clean up and smiles to herself, thinking that was definitely a total Samantha moment. Upon a judgemental, grossed-out look from a stranger that jolts her back to reality, she gets embarrassed and immediately leaves the theater.
3.) Marnie (Allison Williams), sick of not playing into her own sexual fantasies runs into former college friend (and old Oberlin-era Hannah hook-up) Michael, who now sells vintage clothing at a booth in the Brooklyn Flea. He picks out the perfect ‘50s beaded cardigan for her and asks her out for a drink. Finding themselves accidentally day drunk, they head back to Marnie’s place because Michael knows a website where they can watch all the old episodes of Rugrats. In a moment of drunken bravery, Marnie asserts her womanhood by grabbing at his crotch. Startled by her aggressive behavior, Michael blurts out that he’s gay right as Hannah walks in the door. Just add another to the list, Hannah thinks. Marnie hides in her room.
4.) John is a barista that works in the coffee shop near Jessa (Jemima Kirke)’s nannying gig. In a surprise to no one, she invites him back to her job on his break (the girls are napping after watching a documentary on child trafficking their mother made for pre-schoolers), and they have sex. Unemployed dad stumbles upon them. He gets mad (and jealous) and—twist!—Jessa and the dad get high and have awkward, very high sex, because obviously that is what is going to happen, duh.
What do you think will happen to Glover if he appears on Girls? Is this a welcome addition to make the show a bit more diverse? Sound off in the comments.
Follow Alicia on Twitter @alicialutes
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